In this 4-part series, Finding the Energy to Lead, we tackle three common barriers standing between working professionals and a healthy lifestyle. In my last post the focus was travel, CLICK HERE if you missed it.
The focus for this post is all about fighting the daily battle of you against ‘The Office’! It’s no surprise that sitting for 8-12 hours per day is not what our bodies were meant to do, and studies now show that it is putting our health at serious risk. We sit during our commute, we sit at the office, we sit once we get home – sometimes until it is time to lay down and sleep.
In addition to our long term health, sitting can affect how productive and effective we are in the moment. When we are sedentary for long periods of time, blood flow to our muscles, and our brain slows down to a crawl. Some of us are also suffering from tight hips and legs, or a sore back and neck.
There may be other factors that are affecting your motivation to engage in healthy movement, like the lack of natural sunlight and fresh air. Soaking in natural sunlight not only increases your vitamin D levels but has also been linked to reducing stress and depression. Escaping from poor ventilation and increasing fresh air exposure may be a crucial step to decreasing lethargy, headaches or overall resilience.
Most likely, you know the limiting factor or factors in your office environment. What follows next are some simple solutions that you can take on today – to set your office up for success:
- Stand up during phone calls, make the ring of the phone a healthy trigger
- Engage in walking meets (outdoor when the weather allows)
- Ask for a stand-up desk if they can be provided
- Set an alarm on your phone to go off every hour to remind you to stand up, move around, breathe and stretch
- Walk twenty yards a co-workers office rather than call or email
- Bring in your own snacks so you are not sabotaged by vending machines and ‘birthday’ treats
- Make sure you are drinking enough water – ½ of your body weight in fluid ounces
- Bring workout clothes to work – take advantage of any opportunity for a quick workout
- Listen to self or business development podcasts during your commute
- Take the stairs (I know, it sounds corny – but it matters!)
- Sit on an exercise ball as a desk chair, if allowed
- Invest in a fit-bit to track the number of steps you take each day – aim for 10,000
- Organize a fitness / weight loss challenge with co-workers
- Add a live plant to your office to add life, color and fresh air
My challenge to you is to select one thing from the list above to add to your routine. For most of us, we spend the majority of our waking hours working. Make sure that your environment is helping, not hindering your lifestyle.
For more information on how to improve your Fuel and Fitness for your Leader’s Lifestyle, please feel free to contact me, Natalie Peterson, at ‘natalie@donbrown.org’.
-Natalie Peterson MS, CSCS, RYT
Natalie is a naturally positive and energetic coach, speaker and transformational leadership development expert. She believes in a few simple truths when it comes to making things happen in your life. It starts with owning, knowing and developing who you are and continues with making sure that you are as healthy as possible in mind, body & soul. Natalie has a natural ability to see the best in people and to help bring that out in them. She would love to do the same for you.
web: www.nataliepeterson.net
email: natalie@donbrown.org
Facebook: Facebook.com/NataliePetey
